Its more than just survivorship bias, its a toxically optimistic culture, imposed by somewhat rigid social norms. No one likes an excessive realist, even if they're speaking to fact. For an illustrative example, look at any sampling of questions tagged impostor syndrome on academia.stackexchange. You're guaranteed a dozen encouraging answers about how its normal even for the best of us to succumb to unwarranted feelings of inadequacy.
But you're unlikely to find a single one discussing even the possibility that maybe the OP is, in fact, an "imposter".
The imprints of this sort of toxic optimism are all over western culture. There is a hesitancy to criticize and without sufficient criticism you are unlikely to make sound choices/policies for complex systems which are liable to breakdown.
But you're unlikely to find a single one discussing even the possibility that maybe the OP is, in fact, an "imposter".
The imprints of this sort of toxic optimism are all over western culture. There is a hesitancy to criticize and without sufficient criticism you are unlikely to make sound choices/policies for complex systems which are liable to breakdown.